Drop-through case packer

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed an apparatus for assembling and simultaneously dropping a caseload of containers into the top of an open carton. The device is in the form of an attachment to an existing machine of another type. Bottles, jars, cans or the like are arranged in rows or lanes between parallel guides located over and endless conveyor belt. They move from these lanes between other guides where the bottoms of the containers are supported only on rods carried in a drawerlike frame. When a caseload of containers so supported is positioned between these guides, the forward travel of additional containers is blocked and the drawerlike frame is moved sideways to remove the support from under the caseload and they drop through the frame into a carton positioned therebeneath to receive them. The loaded carton is discharged, the drawerlike frame returned to its starting position, and the restraint is removed from the succeeding containers so that the next caseload is assembled between the guides.

United States Patent Frank P. Aldult 116 Guadalcanal Road, New Castle, Pa.

[72] lnventor 16101 [21 1 Appl. No. 796,097 [22] Filed Feb. 3, 1969 [451 Patented July 13, 1971 [54] DROP-THROUGH CASE PACKER Primary ExaminerTheron E. Condon Assistant Examiner- Robert L. Spruill An0rneyParme1ee, Utzler & Welsh ABSTRACT: There is disclosed an apparatus for assembling and simultaneously dropping a caseload of containers into the top of anopen carton. The device is in the form of an attachment to an existing machine of another type. Bottles, jars, cans or the like are arranged in rows or lanes between parallel guides located over and endless conveyor belt. They move from these lanes between other guides where the bottoms of the containers are supported only on rods carried in a drawer like frame. When a caseload of containers so supported is positioned between these guides, the forward travel of additional containers is blocked and the drawerlike frame is moved sideways to remove the support from under the caseload and they drop through the frame into a carton positioned therebeneath to receive them. The loaded carton is discharged, the drawerlike frame returned to its starting position, and the restraint is removed from the succeeding containers so that the next caseload is assembled between the guides.

PATENIED JUL I 3 I97:

SHEET 1 OF 5 INVENTOR FRANK P. ALDUK r .IL

M, IM

lI/s Affamays PATENTED JUL] 3191: 3; 592,002

SHEET 2 0F 5 1M #94, WM

his Attorneys PATENTEU JUL] 31971 SHEET 3 BF 5 INVENTOR FRANK P. ALDUK By M, W"%# his Aflomoys PAIENTED JUL 1 3 I971 SHEET 4 OF 5 TITS-=7 WM W nnoP-Trrrtouon CASE PACKER This invention relates to the field of placing a'plurality of similar objects in a carton, and more especially it is for an apparatus of the type known as a drop-through case packer in which a predetermined number of containers is organized into a prearranged pattern at one level and then dropped simultaneously into a carton at a lower level.

A case packer as disclosed in U.S. Pat. to R. A. Smith No. 2,657,845, granted Nov. 3, 1953 is presently used for packing various containers in cartons. In a machine as so disclosed, containers are discharged more or less at random on a traveling endless belt-type of conveyor, and as they approach the discharge end of the conveyor they are automatically moved between a series of parallel guide plates, sometimes referred to as a grid for forming the containers into lanes or lines which are continuously urged forward by the conveyor on which they rest. At the discharge end of the conveyor they slide over a dead plate onto a tilting platform until a caseload is arranged on the platform, whereupon an inverted case or carton is placed down over them-and the platform is tilted, discharging the case full of containers and turning the case upright so that the flaps may be closed and fastened. This is principally used where the carton has cell-forming partitions therein with a cell for each container.

Many containers are packaged in cartons or cases which do not have such cell-forming partitions. There are many relatively small manufacturers of a variety of products whose output does not justify the investment of funds for expensive machines to accomplish each type of carton loading apparatus which they could usefully employ. The present invention is preferably embodied as an interchangeable attachment for the case packer of the type shown in the said patent whereby the upside-down case loader of that patent is adapted to dropthrough loading. However it is applicable to that machine as a basic unit even though the user never desires to convert from one type of operation to another. Moreover the invention provides a great economy to the manufacturer of packaging machinery since one basic unit is standard for several different applications.

The basic unit as disclosed insaid patent, and to which the attachment of the present invention is applied, comprises a supporting stand with parallel structural sections extending along each side. An endless belt conveyor passes over rolls near each end of the frame, and one roll is driven through a variable speed drive to drive the conveyor belt which carries containers from a receiving end toward the discharge end as above described. The present invention comprises a unitary structure that is bolted onto and abuts against the parallel structural members of the basic unit in such manner that a horizontal container-receiving plate at the entering end of the unit is flush with the dead plate at the discharge end of the conveyor. Extending forwardly from this plate is a horizontal open bottom frame, and parallel vertical divider plates extend from over the horizontal plate to the outer end of the frame, forming in effect extensions of the lanes formed by the grid over the conveyor belt. Supported in the frame under the divider plates are parallel supporting bars, one of which is normally centered along each lane, and which support the containers as they move into the open bottom frame. These bars are carried in a drawerlike support, and when each lane is full of containers, the drawerlike support is slid sideways so that the bars are carried from a position under the containers to a position under the divider plates, and the containers then drop down into a carton or case supported on a tiltable platform beneath the drawerlike structure. After the containers are in the case, the platform is tilted so that the case may slide therefrom onto a conveyor or other loaded carton receiver. The drawer is then returned to its original position where the plate above referred to, and this bar, in turn, yieldably urges individual pressure blocks down against the tops of those can tainers in each line that are then in position to next move into the open bottom frame and thereby restrain them against forward travel while the load of containers in the frame is dropped, and until the drawer returns to its normal position.

In the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the discharge end portion of a packer as disclosed in the Smith, patent, but with the attachment of the present invention substituted for the upsidedown case packer as disclosed in said patent;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, but showing more of the conveyor than is shown in FIG. 1; 7

FIG. 2A is a plan view of the discharge end of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 2, but with the drawerlike frame moved to container-discharging position;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of end of the attachment;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section in the plane of line FIG. 1 looking at the discharge I IV-IV of FlG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical section in the plane of line V-V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section similar to FIG. 5 but showing the drawerlike frame shifted to container-dropping position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the containers discharging into a carton; 4

FIG. 8 is a vertical section similar to FIG. 5, but on a larger scale and with portions of the basic conveyor table omitted;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on a still larger scale in the plane of line lX-IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view on a still larger scale of part of the detail shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the discharge end of the machine wherein the carton-supporting platform is arranged to discharge the carton sideways instead of to the rear, portions of the upper part of the machine being omitted; and FIG. 12 is a section in the plane of line XII-XII of FIG. 11 wherein the carton is discharged from the side of the machine instead of from the end. Y

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, 2 designates a supporting frame structure of a machine asshown in said Smith US. Pat. No. 2,657,845 having adjustable legs 3 so that the height of the machine may be adjusted to the height of any associated equipment. There are two parallel horizontally extending structural sections 4 at each side of the frame. The right-hand end of the machine is the discharge end, and near this end of the machine there is a roller 5 over which passes a continuous belt conveyor 6. There is a similar roller (not shown) at the receiving end of the apparatus. The roller 5 is driven from a variablespeed motor and gear unit 7 by means of a sprocket chain 8 as indicated in FIG. 1.

At the discharge end of the conveyor belt there is a dead plate 9 (see FIG. 4) the surface of which is flush with the top reach of the belt conveyor, and which is positioned close to the discharge end of the conveyor so that containers which are carried on the conveyor are pushed off onto this dead plate for discharge from the conveyor. At each side of the discharge end of the conveyor there are vertical sidewall-forming plates 10. They are connected by crossmembers 11 and 12. In addition, as best seen in FIG. 4, there is a removable crosspiece 13 bars will support the incoming containers. Thedr'awer isoperated in conjunction with a gating device in the form of a that is removably set in brackets 14 secured to each of the sideplates. There are a series of divider plates 15 which are pivoted to the crossbar 14 as indicated at 16 in FIG. 4. The plates 15 are parallel and equal distances apart. The opposite ends of these divider plates are pivotally connected to a second crossbar 17 that is slidably supported at 18 at the left end of the sidewalls 10. One end of this bar engages an eccentric crank 19 driven by a motor M, so that when the motor M is operated, the bar I7 reciprocates crosswise of the conveyor 6, oscillating the forward or entering ends of the divider plates 15 through a short are for the purpose of assisting the containers which are randomly charged onto the receiving end of the conveyor to travel into the several parallel lanes provided between the divider plates 15. The divider plates and the associated connector bars 13 and 117 are commonly referred to in the art as a grid structure, and with the arrangement here shown, the grid structure can be removed by simply lifting the bar 13 from the supporting brackets 14, and lifting the end of the bar 17 off the eccentric pin 19, so that for containers of different sizes, grids having the plates differently spaced can be substituted, or as shown in my copending application Ser. No. 796,092, filed Feb. 3, 1969, the machine may sometimes be operated without any grid at all present, although with the attachment of the present invention such a grid is always used. So much of the machine as described is essentially the same as shown in said patent to Smith U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,845, but the tilting plate arrangement at the discharge end of the conveyor belt as shown in said patent is omitted. It will be seen that in this arrangement the structural sections 4 at each side of the machine have portions 4a that extend beyond the dead plate 9.

The present invention provides a case loading drop-through attachment which is a self-contained unit that can be secured to and supported on the projecting ends 4a of the structural members in place of the tilting plate arrangement of said earlier patent. This attachment comprises a pair of sideplates 20 spaced about the same distance apart as the structural members 4, the spacing between these plates being slightly less than the space between the sideplates 110. Each of these sideplates 20 has a flange 21 extending laterally from the base thereof, each of which rests on one of the extensions 40 of the side frame members 4. There is a container-receiving plate 22 extending crosswise between the sideplates 20, which, as most clearly seen in FIG. 4i, is level with the dead plate 9. Bolts 23 removably secure the attachment to the top of the structural members 4a, while adjusting screws 24 can be set so that when the bolts 23 are tightened down, the plate 22 will be exactly level with the top of the dead plate 9. The sideplates 20 have rearwardly extending portions 25 of less height than the main portions of the plate 20. There is a cross rod 26 connecting the upper portions of the sideplates 20, and this rod passes through upwardly extending projections of divider plates 27 that are in line with the divider plates 15, although separate from plates I5 over the conveyor, and constitute in effect an extension of these plates as clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. Removable spacers 28 are provided on the rod 26 between the upwardly projecting portions of the plates 27 to keep them spaced and in alignment with the divider plates 15. These separators or spacers 28 can be removed and replaced with others when it is necessary to change the space between the plates 27. The extreme right ends and rearwardly extending portions 25 of the plates 20 are connected by a crossbar 29, and also by a cross rod 30 similar to the cross rod 26. The rod 30 has spacers 31 thereon similar to the spacers 28 to hold the opposite ends of the divider plates 27 parallel.

The side extensions 25 and the cross connection 29 and cross rod 30 from in effect a rearwardly extending frame which is open at the bottom between the plate 22 and the crosspiece 29. The divider plates 27 of course extend lengthwise of the machine over this open bottom frame, and provide container-spacing lanes that register with the lanes formed by the grid on the conveyor.

In order to support containers moving to the right as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 4 from falling through the lanes in this open bottom frame, there is provided a transversely movable frame under the guide plates 25, which frame moves in guides similar to the manner in which an ordinary drawer slides in a piece of furniture, and which assembly is referred to as a drawer. This drawer comprises a series of parallel plates 33, the ends of which pass through rods 34!, these rods also passing through side frame connecting members, and the plates 33 are held in spaced relation on these rods by spacing sleeves 35. These rods, with their spacers, and the side frame members are carried on the rails 36. The rod 34 with its spacers 35 at the left end of the open bottom frame are confined against upward movement by the overhanging bedplate 37 on which the plate 22 rests, and at the rear or right end of the open frame the rod 34 with its spacers 35 is confined against upward movement by the cross plate 29 previously described. As shown in the detail in FIGS. 9 and 10, the rails 36 rest on rollers 39 which, as seen in FIG. l0, are ball bearing rollers. Each of these rollers is carried on a pin 40, and this pin passes through an eccentric collar or bushing 41 rotatably fixed in vertical plates 42 which extend crosswise between the sideplate extensions 25. There are clamping nuts 43 on the ends of the pins 40. By removing these nuts and using a tool such as a spanner wrench, the eccentric bushing 41 for each roller can be rotated to raise or lower the roller and thereby raise or lower the rails 36 in very small increments so that the tops of the plates or bars 33 are just flush with the top of the plate 22.

Normally the bars 33 are in the position shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 8 where each bar is midway between, but below, two of the divider plates 27. When the containers move off the plate 22 into the area within the open frame between the plates 27, they are supported on and slide on the tops of the bars 33. This 7 keeps them from dropping through the machine. However the drawer may be moved on the rollers 39 transversely of the length of the bars to bring the bars directly under the divider plates 27, and they are shown in this position in FIGS. 2A, 6 and 7. This removes the support simultaneously from under all of the containers in the several lanes of the open bottom frame between the divider plates 27 so that they drop into a carton placed beneath the drawer unit. Such a carton is indicated in broken lines at C in FIG. 7.

The carton is customarily slid into position from one side of the machine onto a platform 45, and to facilitate entry of the carton into position under the drawer unit, the platform has downwardly-sloping ends 450 as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 8.

The platform has a cross piece 46 with pintles 47 supported in bearings 48 secured to downwardly projecting plates 49. There is a rearwardly extending projection 50 on the platform with a clevis 51 pivotally connected to a piston rod 52, so that when a load drops into the carton, the platform swings down and the piston rod 52 will be raised. The carton will slide off onto a receiving conveyor or other carton-receiving element designated X in FIGS. l and 7. When the platform has tilted to a predetermined angle steep enough to cause the carton to slide off onto the receiving conveyor X, the end of the extension 50 will bear against a pneumatic valve 53 and energize cylinder 54 to cause the piston with its rod 52 to push down on the extension 51 and restore the platform to its level position, when it is then ready to receive another empty carton, Adjustable side guides, 45b (see FIG. 7) center the sides of the carton under the open bottom frame, and an end plate 45c (see FIG. 5) forms a stop to center the carton in the other direction. When the platform tilts, the top of the carton clears these plates so they do not obstruct the discharge of the carton.

In order to stop the containers from moving off the plate 22 into the open bottom lanes while a load of containers is being dropped, there is a gating mechanism for engaging the endmost container in each row on the plate 22 to block the movement of these containers and those accumulated to the rear of them until the cropping of a caseload of containers has been completed and the drawer with its supporting bars 33 has returned to the normal position shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 8. This gating mechanism comprises a crossbar 60 best seen in FIG. 8 having its ends guided in a vertical slit 61 in housing structures on the inner faces of the sideplates 20 so that the bar 60 may move vertically. Under each end of this bar 60 there is a compression spring 62 resiliently urging the bar upwardly, Over each lane between the divider plates 27 there is centered a pin 63 having a friction plate 64 at its lower end. A compression spring 65 is located around each pin 63 between the friction plate 64! and the under side of the bar 60, while nuts 66 on the upper ends of these pins adjust the level of the friction plates to suit the height of the containers that are being packed. Also near each end of the bars 60 there is a roller 67. A second crossbar 68 located above the bar 60 rests on these rollers, and its ends are also guided in vertical slots 61 previously mentioned. There are rollers 69 in the housing parts 70 secured to the sideplates 20, and the bar 68 has inclined surfaces at 680 and 68b which are engaged by the rollers 69, so that when the bar 68 is moved to the right as viewed in FIG. 8, it will be cammed down by the inclined surfaces 68a and 68b moving under the rollers 69. This will apply pressure through the rollers 67 to the crossbar 60, thereby yieldably pressing the friction plates 64 down against the tops of those containers in the lanes between the guide plates 27 which are at that time in position to move into the open bottom frame. Of course when the bar 68 is then moved in the opposite direction, the pressure on the bar 60 is relieved and the springs 62 raise-the friction plates out of contact with the'containers.

This gating mechanism is operated by a fluid pressure cylinder best shown in FIG. 8 where the cylinder designated 71 is pivotally connected at 72 to a fitting secured to the top of the crossbar 68. Its piston rod 73 is pivotally connected at 74 to a clevis 75 on the top of the plate 70. In FIG. 8 the fluid pressure cylinder-piston unit is shown in its retracted position, but when fluid pressure is admitted to the right end of the cylinder though nipple 76, the cylinder is forced to the right, moving the bar 68 in the manner above-described toward the right. When fluid pressure is admitted to the opposite end of the cylinder through nipple 77 and pressure is relieved in the nipple 76, the bar 68 is moved toward the left to open the gating mechanism as above described.

The left end of the bar 68 as viewed in FIG. 8 extends beyond the sideplate 20, and has an opening 68c therethrough. There is a lever 80 pivotally supported at 81 on a bracket 82 extending out from the sideplate 20, and the lower end of this lever is pivotally connected at 83 to a link 84, the other end of which is connected at 85 to the drawer unit. With this arrangement, when the piston 71 is operated to move the bar 68 to the right and downwardly so that the gating mechanism blocks the movement of the containers passing therebeneath, the drawer with its supporting bars 33 simultaneously moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 7 to allow all of those containers in the open bottom frame to drop into the carton as previously described. There is an air valve at 68' on the bar 68 so positioned that when bar 68 moves to the right as viewed in FIG. 8, it contacts the side of the machine, causing air to enter the right end of cylinder 71 to reverse the operation automatically.

When the containers in the several lanes move off the plate 22 onto the bars 33 under the open bottom frame, they are moved by the pressure of the containers on the continuously traveling conveyor, urging all of the containers toward the discharge end of the machine. At the time the friction plates 64 press down on the last containers on the transfer plate 22, these containers will be pressing against the rows of containers in the lanes in the open bottom frame, so that these containers may be frictionally confined between those containers whose motion has been blocked and the outer end of the open bottom frame. This friction may be great enough to prevent the free dropping of the containers into the carton when the support bars 33 are moved from beneath them. In order to prevent this, there is a bar 90 above the crossbar 29 at the outer end of the open bottom frame. This arrangement is perhaps best seen in FIGS. 4, 7 and 11. This bar is attached by modified C-shaped brackets 91 at each end of the rods 34 so that when the drawer unit is shifted sideways, the bar 90 is also shifted sideways. This bar carries a stop-strip 93 from which project-rounded buttons 94, there being one such button 94 on the strip 93 that is normally at the center ofeach lane in the open bottom frame. As seen in FIG. 2 where one row of round containers is indicated, the outermost container in the row centers on this rounded button 94. When the drawer assembly is moved to the discharge position, the rounded buttons at the end of each row move off to the side of the containers which are pressing against them to the position shown in FIG. 2A, relieving the pressure and thus preventing the containers from hanging between the partitions in the open bottom frame when they are otherwise free to drop. This provision of a means for relieving the pressure of accumulated cans in the drop-through area of the loader is an important feature of novelty that overcomes a great deal of difficulty that has heretofore been encountered with various types of dropthrough case packers.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the cartonsupporting platform here designated 100 is pivotally supported at 101 at one side of the frame of the attachment instead of being supported to tilt forward as previously described. It has a lateral extension 102 thereon, and there is a fluid pressure cylinder and piston unit 103 connected with the platform. When a load of containers has been dropped into a carton positioned beneath the drawer, it"will tilt the platform 100 down and the carton will slide out sideways onto the receiving conveyor instead of being discharged endwise from the machine. As the supporting platform 100 swings down to ,the dotted line position shown in FIG. 12, the end 102 will rise to strike a fluid pressure valve 104 to admit air to the cylinderpiston unit 103 to lift the platform back to its normal position. While in FIG. 12 the carton is discharged toward the right, obviously the arrangement may be reversed to pivot the platform at the right-hand end so that the carton discharges toward the left as viewed in this figure.

. l have not shown in detail the fluid pressure circuits for the operation of the cylinder-piston units 54 and 71, since they may be manually operated in proper sequence by pushbutton valves, as is well understoodin the art, or as here indicated, they can be sequenced to operate automatically under the control of a pushbutton-type of valve that is operated manually, or by placing the empty carton on the carton-supporting platform. There is a control unit indicated at P showing two pushbuttons, one for starting or stopping the conveyor, and one being a valve for operating cylinder 71 to move it to the right as shown in FIG. 8. Thereafter the operation continues to operate automatically the valve 68 effecting the return stroke of the cylinder 71 and the dropping of the containers into the carton operating the cylinder 54 or 103, as the case may be, in the manner described. This control unit P is carried on a support that can be set in bushings on the flanges 21 at either side of the machine to suit the operator or the plant layout.

In operation the containers are deposited on the conveyor belt more or less at random. The grid, as is well understood in the art, organizes them into lanes or rows that are pushed by the action of the conveyor over the dead plate into the registering lanes provided between the divider plates 27 over the container-receiving plate 22 and into the open frame area where they are supported only on the bars 33 of the transversely movable drawerlike frame. When the lanes in the open frame area are full, there is a caseload assembled, and by moving the drawerlike frame to the container dropping position where the bars 33 are directly under the divider plates 27, the caseload drops as a unit into the carton platform 45 to an inclined position, and the full caseloaded carton is discharged and the platform is returned to a horizontal carton-supporting position.

At the same time the bars 33 move toward the containerdropping position, the crossbar 68 is moved sideways, and in so moving is cammed down by rollers 69, forcing the bar 60 down, bringing the friction-holding plates 64 down into resilient engagement with those containers in the several lanes that are at the rear of plate 22 ready to next move into the open frame area and thereby block or gate the oncoming containers until the load in that area has been dropped and the.

the bar 60 after the containers have been stopped and before the transverse movement of the bars 33 to container-dropping position may have occurred. It also provides a time lag to allow the bars 33 to move well back toward normal position before the containers are again released for travel into the open frame area.

The drop-through loader, constructed as herein described, as a unitary attachment for an existing conveyor table, can be put onto the table and removed in a short time.

Many thousands of containers pass through the machine in the course of a usual run, which may produce wear on the dead plate 9, the plate 22 and the supporting bars 33. The jack screws 24 provide not only for the initial leveling of the plate 22 with the dead plate 9, but for subsequent adjustment as wear takes place. Likewise the vertical adjustment of the rollers 39 for the drawerlilte frame assembly provided by the eccentric bushing enables the bars 33 to be adjusted so that containers will always move smoothly from the plate 22 into the open bottom frame area.

Either as a unitary removable attachment for existing conveyor tables, or as a structure permanently built onto such table, the invention provides a simple, relatively inexpensive and easily-operated automatic or semiautomatic drop-through case packer. Compresses air may be supplied to the dropthrough unit from a pressure regulator and valve unit 110 normally provided for a machine of this type, 1111 being an air supply hose, and 112 being an air line leading to the dropthrough packer.

I claim:

1. For use with a container-handling apparatus comprising a supporting frame having a power-driven endless belt conveyor therein for moving containers from a receiving end to a discharge end and having a grid structure thereover adjacent the discharge end with a series of parallel plates for arranging containers on the conveyor into parallel lanes along which the rows of containers in said lanes are moved by the conveyor, the invention comprising a drop-through case packer which comprises:

a. a pair of parallel sideplates, one secured to each side of said supporting frame so positioned that rows of containers moving off the discharge end of the conveyor pass between them,

b. a container-receiving plate extending between said sideplates at a level to receive the rows of containers being discharged from the conveyor,

c. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate,

(1. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid positioned over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form in effect a continuation of the lanes formed by said grid structure,

e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars thereacross extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable between normal position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are positioned under the divider plates, gating means supported between said sideplates over said container-receiving plate movable vertically from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks such movement,

g. means arranged to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to containerdropping position and lowering the gating means to block the movement of containers into said open frame and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to a normal position; and

h. means for supporting a carton in container-receiving position under said transversely movable frame.

2. The drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein the transversely movable frame is vertically adjustable for maintaining the container-supporting bars level with the container-receiving plate.

3. The drop-through case packer as defined in claim ll wherein the transversely movable frame is vertically adjustable for maintaining the container-supporting bars level with the container-receiving plate, and said sideplates are vertically adjustable with respect to the conveyor for maintaining the container-receiving plate level with the discharge end of the conveyor.

4. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim ll wherein there is a common operating means arranged to operate both the gating means and the transversely movable frame, and a yieldable lost motion means between said common operating means and said gating means arranged to permit continued transverse movement of the transversely movable frame to container-dropping position after the gating means has effectively blocked the travel of the containers and delay the lifting of said gating means until after the transversely movable frame has started its return to normal position.

5. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim ll wherein said gating means comprises a vertically movable bar having a friction element depending therefrom over each lane between the divider plates and resiliently urged downwardly by springs, and means for raising and lowering said bar to raise and lower said friction elements in unison.

6. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 5 wherein there is a transversely movable bar over said first-named bar for effecting vertical movement of said first-named bar when said transversely movable bar is moved horizontally in one direction and to effect raising of said first bar when it moves transversely in the opposite direction, and fluid pressure means for effecting transverse movement of said second bar.

7v A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 6 wherein there is a lever pivotally supported on one of said sideplates intermediate its ends with one end of said lever passing through said transversely movable bar for rocking said lever when said bar is moved, and a link connecting the other end of said lever with said transversely movable frame whereby the transversely movable frame and the gating means are operated in unison.

8. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a carton-supporting platform arranged to support a carton under said open bottom frame and under said transversely movable frame, said container-receiving plate being pivotally supported for tilting movement in a vertical arc, said open bottom frame being arranged to tilt when a group of containers is dropped through said open bottom frame into the carton, whereby the carton may slide off said platform, and means for returning the platform to a horizontal position after the loaded carton has been discharged.

9. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 8 wherein said means for returning the platform to horizontal position is a fluid pressure cylinder and valve means operated by the tilting of said platform for energizing said cylinder.

10. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a transversely movable bar attached to said transversely movable frame at the end of the open bottom frame remote from the container-receiving plate, said transversely movable bar havinga projection thereon at the end of each lane between the divider plates against which the endmost containers in the several lines abut when the transversely movable frame is in the normal position, but which are shifted sideways by the movement of said transversely movable frame to the container-dropping position to thereby relieve the pressure of containers one against another in the several lanes when the transversely movable frame moves to containerdischarging position.

11. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein there is means at the end of each lane in the open bottom frame most remote from the container-receiving plate for relieving pressure on the containers in the respective lanes when the transversely movable frame is moved to containerdropping position.

12. A drop-through case packer attachment for application to a basic unit having two parallel spaced structural sections, one at each side thereof, with an endless conveyor belt positioned between them and having a dead plate at the top end of the conveyor belt onto which containers are moved by the belt, the basic unit having a grid structure adjacent the discharge end portion of the conveyor having a plurality of parallel divider plates for arranging containers into a plurality of parallel rows, said attachment comprising:

a. a pair of spaced parallel sideplates with means thereon for securing each one to one of said structural side sections of the basic unit,

b. a container-receiving plate extending between the sideplates flush with the dead plate on the basic unit and providing in effect an extension thereof,

. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate,

d. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form a continuation of the lanes provided by the divider plates of said grid,

e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars thereacross extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable between a normal position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are under the divider plates,

f. gating means mounted between said sideplates movable vertically from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks off movement of the containers,

g. means to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to the container-dropping position and lowering said gating means to block the movement of containers off said container-receiving plate and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to normal position; and

h. means for supporting a carton under said transversely movable frame.

13. A drop-through case packer attachment as defined in claim 12 wherein said spaced parallel sideplates have laterally projecting flanges thereon that rest on the tops of the parallel spaced structural sections of the frame of the basic unit, bolts passing through said flanges and into the structural sections for securing the attachment to said sections, and adjusting screws in said flanges engaging the tops of said sections for adjusting the height of the attachment relative to the conveyor whereby said container-receiving plate may be set flush with the top of said dead plate on the basic machine.

14. For use with a container-handling apparatus comprising a supporting frame having a power-driven endless belt conveyor therein for moving containers from a receiving end to a discharge end and having a grid structure thereover adjacent the discharge end with a series of parallel lanes along which the rows of containers in said lanes are moved by the conveyor, the invention comprising a drop-through case packer which comprises:

a. a pair of parallel sideplates, one secured to each side of said supporting frame so positioned that rows of containers moving off the discharge end of the conveyor pass between them,

b. a container-receiving plate extending between said sideplates at a level to receive the rows of containers being discharged from the conveyor,

c. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate,

d. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid positioned over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form in effect a continuation of the lanes formed by said grid structure,

e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars there across extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are positioned under the divider plates,

gating means supported between said sideplates over said container-receiving plate movable vertically from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks such movement,

g. common operating means arranged to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to container-dropping position and lowering the gating means to block the movement of containers into said open frame and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to a normal position, said common operating means including a yieldable lost motion means between said common operating means and said gating means arranged to permit continued transverse movement of the transversely movable frame to container-dropping position after the gating means has effectively blocked the travel of the containers and delay the lifting of said gating means until after the transversely movable frame has started its return to normal position.

h. means for supporting a carton in container-receiving position under said transversely movable frame.

15. For use with a container-handling apparatus comprising a supporting frame having a power-driven endless belt conveyor therein for moving containers from a receiving end to a discharge end and having a grid structure thereover adjacent the discharge end with a series of parallel lanes along which the rows of containers in said lanes are moved by the conveyor, the invention comprising a drop-through case packer which comprises:

a. a pair of parallel sideplates, one secured to each side of said supporting frame so positioned that rows of containers moving off the discharge end of the conveyor pass between them,

b. a container-receiving plate extending between said sideplates at a level to receive the rows of containers being discharged from the conveyor,

c. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate,

d. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid positioned over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form in effect a continuation of the lanes formed by said grid structure,

e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars thereacross extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable between normal position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are positioned under the divider plates,

f. gating means supported between said sideplates over said container-receiving plate movable vertically from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks such movement,

g. means arranged to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to containerdropping position and lowering the gating means to block the movement of containers into said open frame and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to a normal position; and

h. means for supporting a carton in container-receiving position under said transversely movable frame,

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i. means at the end of each lane in the open bottom frame most remote from the container-receiving plate for relieving pressure on the containers in the respective lanes when the transversely movable frame is moved to container-dropping position.

16. In a drop-through case packer, wherein containers on a traveling conveyor are first arranged between a grid structure into lanes for advancement, having a drop-through frame with divider plates positioned to provide a number of receiving lanes matching the advancing lanes, each receiving lane accepting an equal number of containers, said drop-through frame having transversely movable means therebelow each lane and movable from a container-supporting position to a container-dropping position where all the containers are free to drop simultaneously into a carton positioned therebeneath, the improvement comprising means for restraining the travel of containers into said receiving lanes when said transversely movable means is moving to or is in container-dropping position which improved means comprises:

a. a bat positioned over and extending crosswise above the advancement lanes,

b. means for raising and lowering said bar, effecting the lowering of said bar before said transversely movable means has shifted to container-dropping position and raising same after said transversely movable means has started its return to container-supporting position;

c. a plurality of restraining elements on said bar, one over each lane so that when said bar is lowered said restraining elements frictionally restrain the containers therebelow, and when said bar is in a raised position said restraining elements are raised permitting passage of said containers, and

d. a common operating means for shifting said transversely movable means to effect dropping of said containers and lowering said bar to frictionally restrain containers, and thereafter raising the bar to permit passage of containers and shifting said movable means back to container-supporting position.

17. The combination as specified in claim 16, wherein a resilient lost motion means is provided between said common operating means and the means for raising and lowering said bar whereby said transversely movable means continues in movement to container-dropping position after said restraining elements block the travel of containers and delaying the raising of said restraining elements until after said transversely movable means has started to return to container-supporting position. 

1. For use with a container-handling apparatus comprising a supporting frame having a power-driven endless belt conveyor therein for moving containers from a receiving end to a discharge end and having a grid structure thereover adjacent the discharge end with a series of parallel plates for arranging containers on the conveyor into parallel lanes along which the rows of containers in said lanes are moved by the conveyor, the invention comprising a drop-through case packer which comprises: a. a pair of parallel sideplates, one secured to each side of said supporting frame so positioned that rows of containers moving off the discharge end of the conveyor pass between them, b. a container-receiving plate extending between said sideplates at a level to receive the rows of containers being discharged from the conveyor, c. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate, d. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid positioned over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form in effect a continuation of the lanes formed by said grid structure, e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars thereacross extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable between normal position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are positioned under the divider plates, f. gating means supported between said sideplates over said container-receiving plate movable vertically from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks such movement, g. means arranged to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to container-dropping position and lowering the gating means to block the movement of containers into said open frame and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to a normal position; and h. means for supporting a carton in container-receiving position under said transversely movable frame.
 2. The drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein the transversely movable frame is vertically adjustable for maintaining the container-supporting bars level with the container-receiving plate.
 3. The drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein the transversely movable frame is vertically adjustable for maintaining the container-supporting bars level with the container-receiving plate, and said sideplates are vertically adjustable with respect to the conveyor for maintaining the container-receiving plate level with the discharge end of the conveyor.
 4. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a common operating means arranged to operate both the gating means and the transverSely movable frame, and a yieldable lost motion means between said common operating means and said gating means arranged to permit continued transverse movement of the transversely movable frame to container-dropping position after the gating means has effectively blocked the travel of the containers and delay the lifting of said gating means until after the transversely movable frame has started its return to normal position.
 5. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein said gating means comprises a vertically movable bar having a friction element depending therefrom over each lane between the divider plates and resiliently urged downwardly by springs, and means for raising and lowering said bar to raise and lower said friction elements in unison.
 6. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 5 wherein there is a transversely movable bar over said first-named bar for effecting vertical movement of said first-named bar when said transversely movable bar is moved horizontally in one direction and to effect raising of said first bar when it moves transversely in the opposite direction, and fluid pressure means for effecting transverse movement of said second bar.
 7. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 6 wherein there is a lever pivotally supported on one of said sideplates intermediate its ends with one end of said lever passing through said transversely movable bar for rocking said lever when said bar is moved, and a link connecting the other end of said lever with said transversely movable frame whereby the transversely movable frame and the gating means are operated in unison.
 8. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a carton-supporting platform arranged to support a carton under said open bottom frame and under said transversely movable frame, said container-receiving plate being pivotally supported for tilting movement in a vertical arc, said open bottom frame being arranged to tilt when a group of containers is dropped through said open bottom frame into the carton, whereby the carton may slide off said platform, and means for returning the platform to a horizontal position after the loaded carton has been discharged.
 9. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 8 wherein said means for returning the platform to horizontal position is a fluid pressure cylinder and valve means operated by the tilting of said platform for energizing said cylinder.
 10. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein there is a transversely movable bar attached to said transversely movable frame at the end of the open bottom frame remote from the container-receiving plate, said transversely movable bar having a projection thereon at the end of each lane between the divider plates against which the endmost containers in the several lines abut when the transversely movable frame is in the normal position, but which are shifted sideways by the movement of said transversely movable frame to the container-dropping position to thereby relieve the pressure of containers one against another in the several lanes when the transversely movable frame moves to container-discharging position.
 11. A drop-through case packer as defined in claim 1 wherein there is means at the end of each lane in the open bottom frame most remote from the container-receiving plate for relieving pressure on the containers in the respective lanes when the transversely movable frame is moved to container-dropping position.
 12. A drop-through case packer attachment for application to a basic unit having two parallel spaced structural sections, one at each side thereof, with an endless conveyor belt positioned between them and having a dead plate at the top end of the conveyor belt onto which containers are moved by the belt, the basic unit having a grid structure adjacent the discharge end portion of the conveyor having a plurality of parallel divider plates for arranging containers into a plurality of parallel rows, said attachment cOmprising: a. a pair of spaced parallel sideplates with means thereon for securing each one to one of said structural side sections of the basic unit, b. a container-receiving plate extending between the sideplates flush with the dead plate on the basic unit and providing in effect an extension thereof, c. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate, d. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form a continuation of the lanes provided by the divider plates of said grid, e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars thereacross extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable between a normal position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are under the divider plates, f. gating means mounted between said sideplates movable vertically from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks off movement of the containers, g. means to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to the container-dropping position and lowering said gating means to block the movement of containers off said container-receiving plate and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to normal position; and h. means for supporting a carton under said transversely movable frame.
 13. A drop-through case packer attachment as defined in claim 12 wherein said spaced parallel sideplates have laterally projecting flanges thereon that rest on the tops of the parallel spaced structural sections of the frame of the basic unit, bolts passing through said flanges and into the structural sections for securing the attachment to said sections, and adjusting screws in said flanges engaging the tops of said sections for adjusting the height of the attachment relative to the conveyor whereby said container-receiving plate may be set flush with the top of said dead plate on the basic machine.
 14. For use with a container-handling apparatus comprising a supporting frame having a power-driven endless belt conveyor therein for moving containers from a receiving end to a discharge end and having a grid structure thereover adjacent the discharge end with a series of parallel lanes along which the rows of containers in said lanes are moved by the conveyor, the invention comprising a drop-through case packer which comprises: a. a pair of parallel sideplates, one secured to each side of said supporting frame so positioned that rows of containers moving off the discharge end of the conveyor pass between them, b. a container-receiving plate extending between said sideplates at a level to receive the rows of containers being discharged from the conveyor, c. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate, d. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid positioned over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form in effect a continuation of the lanes formed by said grid structure, e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars there across extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are positioned under the divider plates, f. gating means supported between said sideplates over said container-receiving plate movable verticaLly from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks such movement, g. common operating means arranged to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to container-dropping position and lowering the gating means to block the movement of containers into said open frame and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to a normal position, said common operating means including a yieldable lost motion means between said common operating means and said gating means arranged to permit continued transverse movement of the transversely movable frame to container-dropping position after the gating means has effectively blocked the travel of the containers and delay the lifting of said gating means until after the transversely movable frame has started its return to normal position. h. means for supporting a carton in container-receiving position under said transversely movable frame.
 15. For use with a container-handling apparatus comprising a supporting frame having a power-driven endless belt conveyor therein for moving containers from a receiving end to a discharge end and having a grid structure thereover adjacent the discharge end with a series of parallel lanes along which the rows of containers in said lanes are moved by the conveyor, the invention comprising a drop-through case packer which comprises: a. a pair of parallel sideplates, one secured to each side of said supporting frame so positioned that rows of containers moving off the discharge end of the conveyor pass between them, b. a container-receiving plate extending between said sideplates at a level to receive the rows of containers being discharged from the conveyor, c. an open bottom frame structure projecting rearwardly from said container-receiving plate, d. a plurality of divider plates supported between said sideplates extending in line with the parallel plates of said grid positioned over said container-receiving plate and over said open bottom frame to form in effect a continuation of the lanes formed by said grid structure, e. a transversely movable frame under said open bottom frame having parallel container-supporting bars thereacross extending in the direction of said divider plates, said transversely movable frame being movable between normal position where there is a container-supporting bar midway between each two divider plates to a container-dropping position where the bars are positioned under the divider plates, f. gating means supported between said sideplates over said container-receiving plate movable vertically from a raised position where it is clear of containers moving over said container-receiving plate into the open bottom frame to a lower position where it blocks such movement, g. means arranged to simultaneously move the transversely movable frame from its normal position to container-dropping position and lowering the gating means to block the movement of containers into said open frame and for simultaneously lifting the gating means and returning the transversely movable frame to a normal position; and h. means for supporting a carton in container-receiving position under said transversely movable frame, i. means at the end of each lane in the open bottom frame most remote from the container-receiving plate for relieving pressure on the containers in the respective lanes when the transversely movable frame is moved to container-dropping position.
 16. In a drop-through case packer, wherein containers on a traveling conveyor are first arranged between a grid structure into lanes for advancement, having a drop-through frame with divider plates positioned to provide a number of receiving lanes matching the advancing lanes, each receiving lane accepting an equal number of containers, said drop-through frame having transversely movable means thereBelow each lane and movable from a container-supporting position to a container-dropping position where all the containers are free to drop simultaneously into a carton positioned therebeneath, the improvement comprising means for restraining the travel of containers into said receiving lanes when said transversely movable means is moving to or is in container-dropping position which improved means comprises: a. a bat positioned over and extending crosswise above the advancement lanes, b. means for raising and lowering said bar, effecting the lowering of said bar before said transversely movable means has shifted to container-dropping position and raising same after said transversely movable means has started its return to container-supporting position; c. a plurality of restraining elements on said bar, one over each lane so that when said bar is lowered said restraining elements frictionally restrain the containers therebelow, and when said bar is in a raised position said restraining elements are raised permitting passage of said containers, and d. a common operating means for shifting said transversely movable means to effect dropping of said containers and lowering said bar to frictionally restrain containers, and thereafter raising the bar to permit passage of containers and shifting said movable means back to container-supporting position.
 17. The combination as specified in claim 16, wherein a resilient lost motion means is provided between said common operating means and the means for raising and lowering said bar whereby said transversely movable means continues in movement to container-dropping position after said restraining elements block the travel of containers and delaying the raising of said restraining elements until after said transversely movable means has started to return to container-supporting position. 